


Kinetics

by FlashDriver



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 17:50:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19795951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashDriver/pseuds/FlashDriver
Summary: This is a Marine focused one-shot, an elaboration on the power she displayed toward the end of Sonic Rush Adventure. It is set in the Sol Dimension and assumes that power was hydrokinesis, as her name suggests. I hope you will enjoy!





	Kinetics

Bored.

A young raccoon was sat on the sand, frowning out to sea as if the waters had somehow insulted her. The horizon was littered with fluffy white clouds; hanging still in the windless sky. Today would have been perfect for sailing. They could have set out from here due west, maybe visit the coral caves or even just hang out and fish the day away; you know, do something fun. But no.

Bored.

Instead, they'd had some dumb date, no not even a date; they'd been way too embarrassed to call it a date! Blaze had insisted they just wanted to spend some time alone as friends while Silver had promised that partners just needed to reinforce their bond and they'd all have dinner together later. A training day, that's what they'd called it, yeah right, more like a trial date. They'd given other excuses to compensate; like that didn't make it even more obvious. Talking about how they were afraid she'd run into the line of fire and get burned or crushed; get too excited and act like some dumb kid. Sure, the stammer in their voices totally hadn't given them away from the start. Maybe there was some truth to the training, but the raccoon was certain that they'd be getting all lovey-dovey afterwards. Probably even during it. Marine knew fine well what was going on and… well... she couldn't help feeling left out. But more important than that she was feeling…

Bored!

The young girl hopped to her feet, frowning her hardest at the horizon. Time was crawling at a snail's pace! It couldn't be later than three, she wouldn't be able to mock them and ask about their date for a solid two hours at least! How could she distract herself till then? Try to sneak a peek at their smooching? Tempting but Blaze would undoubtedly catch her. Play with someone else? But who? Gardon? That uptight landlubber who carried a cutlass, but hadn't drawn it once since she'd met the prude? Even if he'd say yes, which he more than probably wouldn't, his idea of fun would probably be chess or books with no pictures. Gross. It wasn't like she could go to the other dimension either. As fun as the folks there were, crossing the barrier between dimensions too often was apparently 'irresponsible' and an 'abuse of power' and 'dangerous without proper planning.' Something to do with dimensional overlap or fusing worlds or some other nonsense.

Marine kicked up sand, beginning the trek back toward her ramshackle hut; a home she'd constructed from driftwood and surplus wrought iron. She'd made it a good halfway back before something caught her eye. A large chunk of driftwood was floating her way, lingering just beyond the water's edge. Upon closer inspection she understood why it had halted in the shallows, the mass was near four times her length and far wider than her. It was perfect for a new project! That'd distract her more than long enough! Maybe she would carve a canoe… or make some kinda figurehead for her next ship? Yes! A figurehead, she'd wanted to make one of those; a new challenge and a new venture, it'd be perfect! It looked like it could make some kind of lion or… or a shark! Yes, with big pointy teeth and a sharp nose, if she painted it right and bound it in rope it might even look like she'd tied a real one to the ship!

Wading into the shallows Marine gripped its soaked exterior and began to heave, heels digging into the sand and thick tan gloves allowing her to exert all her might but, despite the furrowing of her brow and redness on her face, it refused to budge. Growling slightly she rounded the log, submerged up to her knees, and tried pushing. This got her further and for a moment she thought she might free the husk from its watery grave, it tilted forward, but immediately she felt the strain. With hardly a moment to jump over it, the log had rolled past her and began to float back out to sea.

"Oh come on! You were gonna look so cool!" The raccoon rushed into the depths after it, water reaching the rim of her dress, and gripped the log once again. But between the waves and her lacking physical might, Marine could only halt the trunk rather than pull it toward land. Huffing in defeat she cast her eye to the shoreline, baron; there wasn't a soul in sight. If Blaze were here she could have pulled it from the waters all by herself, if Silver were with her then it'd be shifted with the flick of a wrist. If they tried to come back later it'd be swept to sea or maybe someone else would have taken it. Marine looked down to the wood, running her gloved fingers over its weathered exterior, debating how much she wanted it. She looked back to the sands, nary a seagull let alone a person, so maybe… maybe it'd be okay to use her power for something fun; just this one time. The raccoon leant against the log to keep it stationary as she prepared herself.

She took her right wrist in her left hand, continuing to scan the shore as she slowly rolled the glove up. Strictly speaking, Marine didn't have to remove her gloves to do this but she figured that with the layer of thick cloth removed it'd be much easier to control. Not that she'd practised nearly enough to know that for certain. Her palm and thumb were soon exposed but then came the… well… the big bit. Marine bit her lip, closed her eyes, and finished removing the glove. Opening her left eye she peered down at her right hand and found it cloaked in a mint green light, the glow flowed back and forth from her fingertips; occasionally touching the edge of her wrist before gathering back at her knuckle line. A line traced around each of her fingers, sans her thumb, starting from the knuckle and wrapping around each finger twice before coming to an end at her nail. A small X, its light dulled by her nails, marked these endpoints.

Marine closed her fist, clenching it into a tight ball, and cast her eyes to the ocean's depths. In response, her entire hand was engulfed in a green sphere and, simultaneously, a glowing sphere formed in the water before her. Back still against the log, Marine raised her first and with it, the submerged orb began to rise. The movement of her arm became sluggish, as if it had gained some great weight, but as she moved it up the glowing sphere grew closer to the water's surface. Eventually she tucked her elbow into her side, near the height her top two ribs.

The raccoon pushed off the driftwood, water now at her hips, and as she shifted the orb followed; turning on its axis as she turned to face her target. Now… she'd never really had to control the strength of this, in fact she had no idea if she could, but it seemed this was the only way; she'd just have to hope the wood was tough enough to handle her might! Marine took up a stance, right foot turned right while the left pointed straight ahead; this twisted her body such that her left shoulder was to the driftwood, the orb of mint tinted water was by her side just beneath the water's surface. Already the log had begun to shift, she couldn't hesitate; soon it'd become far more difficult to return to land. The hydrokinetic threw her glowing fist forward, launching a blow best described as a reaching uppercut, and with it the water ball rocketed from the sea; smacking into the wood and launching it skyward.

The impact was… explosive. Needless to say, the driftwood was blasted clear of the water. There was a cacophonous splash as it soared into the sky, spiralling and tumbling from end to end before staking into the ground; a blinding wave of sand excavated in its wake. When the air had cleared Marine could see the log, seemingly intact but firmly rooted in the sand. Well… at least it was out of the water? She smiled, rather impressed with her efforts, though she could feel a combination of sea spray and sweat coating her brow. Looking skyward the Raccoon was met with her green orb, free from the water and following the contact it'd been misshapen. Droplets fell from the construct, as she unfurled her hand and shook away the mint light that surrounded it those droplets became into a downpour. Soon nothing remained of the aqua sphere.

Her hand was back to normal, well… as normal as they could be. The light was back to flowing from her fingers to her wrist rather than forming a sphere around it. She quickly redressed her hand and began to stumble out of the shallows, kicking up the tide and further soaking herself but she didn't seem to notice; rather her attention was taken up by her pursuit of the driftwood and a faint ringing in her ears. The young girl hesitated when she reached dry land, rubbing her forehead slightly, but as the feeling passed the smile returned to her face and she quickly reconvened with the wood. Patting and scanning its outside it didn't look like the wood had been all too damaged, no long cracks running through it though there was some clear chipping where the water orb had made contact; nothing that couldn't be sanded out though! Now she just had to get it back to the hut.

She tried pushing again, kicking up wave after wave of sand, but it wasn't budging! She tried pulling but ended up falling back into the sand, she tried to dust herself off but already being wet the sand clung to her. Her teeth grit, she kicked it… Ow! Well, looked like there was no choice; she'd have to use her power again. But she was too far from the water to manipulate it. Well, that meant she'd have to make some water for herself.

Glancing to her surroundings again, making sure no one was watching, Marine pulled both of her gloves off this time; tossing them to the sands. She took a good five steps backwards, unsure what length of the tree was buried, and extended her left arm. Brows hardened, she dug in her heels and grit her teeth. The light from her left hand fully receded to her fingers, glowing so brightly they became unidentifiable, as she committed herself fully to an action she didn't truly understand. It was unclear how long passed, the sound of the waves filling the raccoon's ears, before eventually, something sounded over it; a high-pitched plink, like a drop of water leaking from a faucet into a filled sink. Her vision blurred, she shuddered as sweat rolled down her ears, but she kept tensing her arm and widening her fingers to their utmost limit. The sound of droplets grew louder, soon turning from individuals to groups of four to the sound of a sieve draining! She began to pant, her head growing lighter again, but through her spinning vision she could see the form of the bark was being bent in some places; a body of water, it's size she couldn't tell, was floating between her and the driftwood.

A wide grin, frequently warped and broken by her panting, had grown on her face. She drew her right arm backwards, holding it tight to her side, before clenching her fist tightly; immediately it was surrounded on an aura of green and the water ball she'd made began to glow the same. It must have been big; the light completely masked the driftwood, in fact… the raccoon couldn't really see anything but the glowing green orb. Her hands were shaking, her knees were knocking and her breathing hitched.

"I'm gonna send you all the way home! Try not to break, alright!?" And with that, the raccoon threw her fist forward but her body went with it, there was the sound of a colossal splash, and immediately her head met with the ground. The last thing she felt was wetness on her head.

\---

"Marine? Marine are you alright!?" Her eyes felt heavy; it was far too early for shouting, whoever that was. The young raccoon reached up and swatted at them, open palm meeting with something fluffy. Oh, Silver, what was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be on a date with Blaze? Her eyes cracked open and immediately she was met with a blurred and spinning visage of his head hovering over her, his hands were shaking her shoulders. "You're awake! What happened?"

He was cloaked in orange, in fact… everything was. Was the sun setting? What had happened? What time was it? She groaned, lowering her hand from his quills to rub her forehead. "What time is it?"

He blinked at her; he'd stopped shaking her shoulders. "About time for dinner, I was on my way back to make it when I-

"Mate, can we have macaroni tonight?" She'd cut him off; looking passed him and forcing herself to sit up. Marine could still feel his eyes upon her, though he shuffled back a little he was still kneeling to her right. "I know you probably had something planned but… I just really want macaroni tonight. Its been a bit of a long one today."

She turned back to face him, the world slowly taking a more stable form, she could tell he was worried but he managed a smile; "If that's what you want Marine, but you need to tell me what happened. Did someone hurt you? Are you ok?"

Her senses were returning, the promise of her favourite pasta dish in mind, she smiled widely in an attempt to alleviate his concern. "I just got tired mate, nothin' to worry about! I'll be right as rain after some grub!" Rain, thoughts of her last actions came flooding back; she blindly touched her hands together and felt the absence of her thick gloves.

To make matters worse, by the look in his eyes, he hadn't believed her half-truth. "Well… alright, but are those lines on your fingers what I think they are? Because they look like-

Marine's smile faltered, she grimaced and quickly recoiled; sitting on her open palms. "Lines mate? What lines? I must just have fallen asleep on my hands, have you never done that before? O-Or maybe I just got some seaweed tangled on them, I was pullin' this big bit of driftwood out the water earlier; maybe I didn't notice it." Her eyes were scanning the sands; quickly they fell upon her gloves. Just out of reach.

"Marine," she looked back to him but it seemed her name hadn't been spoken to her; rather he was looking off into the sky in deep thought. The tiny raccoon could already tell what was coming. "Marine… Marine? Oh! Marine! Why didn't I realise earlier! Just like Blaze, you're named after-

The young girl lunged to her feet and grabbed his face, effectively muzzling him… but exposing her hands once again; their green glow undoubtedly reaching his vision. His eyes widened briefly before forming a more confused stare, a brow raised. She groaned and started to plead, "Mate please don't tell Gardon or anyone, folks think I'm weird enough as it is; y'know?" Eventually, she lowered her hands from his mouth. He was quiet for a moment; tugging at his chest fur in some kind of contemplation, like an old man with a beard.

"Marine, I'm psychic and from the future. Blaze was from the future, now she's from another dimension and also a princess. You're not weird, at least not by comparison." Okay, when he put it like that her strangeness did seem rather minute in the grand scheme of things but to be fair they were on the extreme end of abnormality. "Why do you want to hide your power? Is it dangerous, are you scared of it?"

She pushed her forefingers together, now refusing to meet his eyes as embarrassment overtook her… a feeling Marine wasn't much used to feeling. "It's not that the powers scare me, I'm afraid of scaring other people with it. It's just… you know… there aren't many kids around here and when I meet them I'm already… I'm not exactly a girly girl, y'know? I hate pink stuff and playin' house, I'd rather be out 'venturin' or making somethin'!" Marine explained to the best of her ability, limited by her own lack of understanding at her embarrassment. "So these marks would probably just be another thing that makes me… weird, so I just figure I'd hide 'em till I know people. Maybe even forever, it's not like I'm usin' 'em for anything."

The hedgehog paused for a moment, not meeting Marine's eye, until finally he removed his hand from his chest and placed it atop her head; almost ruffling her ears. "That… reminds me a lot of how Blaze was. Well, perhaps not quite as bad." This had piqued the young raccoon's interest, while she'd heard parts of the bizarreness that was their past she'd never heard a comparison like that. "She was bullied for her powers when I first met her. In a city overcome with flames her power drew others to fear or despise her." Marine knew that even now Blaze was apprehensive about using her powers but she'd never known where that fear came from, she'd just assumed it was because they were so dangerous. "But without her flames, we'd have never changed that future, with them she did something I never could. She was able to change the world thanks to those flames." His hand pulled back from her head, returning to his fluff, but in the hedgehog's eyes, Marine could see a hint of… something? Regret? Discomfort? Regardless he quickly shook it off, smiling at the young girl once again. "I guess what I'm trying to say is its part of you and, if it is anything like mine or Blaze's, then it's a good thing! Don't be afraid to use it… although, if that's anything to go by you should probably learn to control it a little better." Marine followed the hedgehog's eyes and was flabbergasted by what she saw.

To one side of the pair the sand was dry but before them lay a long strip where the sand had been completely soaked; a wet shadow was cast longer and wider than the log had been. At the edge of the dampness lay a crater, where the driftwood hunk had once been, but way off in the distance Marine could see that very log laid horizontal on the sand. How far away was it? It looked tiny all the way out there. She made an L with her fingers; the log looked about the size of half her thumb.

"I did that?! No, there's no way I…" Marine felt her grin tear at her cheeks, she clenched her fists and the light grew brighter. "That's incredible! Do you see it mate! You do right, all the way out there? I must've sent it flyin'! Can you even do that?"

"I…" But, for some reason, the hedgehog stopped himself. Finally rising to his feet, "Yeah, it's amazing Marine. Do you think you could show me what you did?"

Marine grimaced as she turned back to him, "Maybe…" Her blue eyes scanned the horizon; they were the only ones on the beach. He already knew and it wasn't like she didn't trust him, but at the same time… if she was going to do this…

"You don't have to if-

"If I do it... I want ice cream for afters! Chocolate, no less than five scoops... with sprinkles too. A-And I want…" Her brows furrowed as she tried to think up more terms, "I want you to tell Blaze you think she's pretty and that you wanna smooch her! It's about time you did anyway."

Silver's gaze tumbled to the ground; he was tugging at his chest fur far harder, though the light still cast him orange blush was clear on his face. He was such a dork, with reactions like that Blaze had to know he was into her. There was no way she didn't! "Six scoops of ice-cream, I don't have to tell her anything."

Marine haggled harder; she'd shot high for this very reason. "Six scoops and you admit she's pretty."

"I uhm…" The tugging at his chest fur stopped, "Y-Yes, she's very pretty."

It was nice to hear him say it but, "I meant to her and you know it fine well, mate. Stop tryin' to sneak your way out of it, do we have an accord?"

"…Five scoops and..." The grin had returned to her face but the red hadn't left his, "I-I'll tell her that I guess."

Without hesitation, Marine extended a hand to shake, "Deal!" What an idiot, as if telling her she's that wasn't enough of a hint he wanted to smooch her. She surely knew that already, after all, she wanted to snog him too, but a reminder would be nice. Besides, his compliments were always lame. Hopefully, this would be a step in the right direction.

He didn't meet her eye, instead turning toward the sunset as he shook her hand. "Alright, fine… but I want to know about this power Marine. If I'm doing that much I want a proper demonstration, assuming you can manage it." He looked down the beach and then, finally, back to her. "If you pass out I'll carry you back, but it's probably best you don't. Try a little… smaller? Put less energy behind it, if you can?"

Marine, immediately, threw caution to the wind. "Well, if I'll get a piggyback for showin' off then I'm gonna!"

Before he could stop her she'd opened her left palm, drawing her right arm back and making a fist. At this sight, rather than move out the way, Silver leaned in a little closer; eyes trained on her glowing fingers. The young raccoon began to focus, breathing quickly became laboured as droplets trickled from her hand and began to coreless into a globule, her right fist was beginning to shine, but the action felt… harder than before. It was certainly happening slower, for all the sweat on her brow so little water was leaving her palm.

"How does it feel?"

"Wh-What? Mate, um, it…" How did it feel? Could she even describe it? She was trying to focus on making the orb, that was more than enough to think about! What was it like, she supposed, "Difficult?"

"Difficult how?" Whenever he spoke she felt control wane, toes scrunched as she attempted to maintain focus. "First words that come to mind."

"Err, umm…" Her eyes shut tight as she fumbled for those first words, "It's just… difficult! It's like I'm wringing the water out of my brain, I'm reaching out as far as I can and it's reaching even further? I-I-I'm imagining it when I'm doing it, thinkin' about a hand comin' out of mine… a-a-and I can feel it. It's like my left is dripping away and I feel its weight in my right? B-But my left hand is still there?"

"Huh? Really? That's weird." Marine's brow furrowed, letting her face scrunch into a frown. "I-I mean, it's amazing! Just, not like mine at all. Do you think you can stop it growing?"

Could she? Maybe? She dug her heels in, heaved back her shoulders and tried to ball her left hand. It was difficult, with the grimace she pulled Marine couldn't deny that, but as she curled her fingers, body shaking and teeth grit, the green light flickered out. Her outstretched hand dropped to her side and, in its wake, there hung a sphere of water with a pulsing green core; a pulse that matched her right fist.

Blue eyes lit up with sparkling light, "I-I did it! Mate, look, I did it!"

He finally pulled away from the orb, looking past it to beam at her. "It's incredible Marine, how does it feel now?"

"Oh, this part's a whole lot easier!" Marine shifted her fist toward her mouth and, sure enough, the orb glided a similar path; coming to stop just before her eyes. "It's like it's connected to my first mate, I can pull it in or push it out or do whatever!"

"You need to move your fist but the movement of the orb doesn't quite match your hand." Marine blinked at that, he was right! She'd moved her fist a couple of inches left but the orb had moved around a foot backwards.

"Wow, mate, don't freak me out. I've only really done this a couple times. I don't know what'll happen if I stop thinking 'bout doing this." She tried to focus on the task, "It just kinda… does what my hand tells it to, even if that's not what my hand does."

"It's exactly like psychokinesis then, as long as I know what I mean objects shift accordingly." He turned back to the sphere, squinting at it in a much too serious manner. "Do you know what happens if someone touches it?"

Without hesitation Marine plunged her left forefinger into the sphere, a ripple shot through it and some droplets tumbled to the sand but, for the most part, it held together. As she removed it the finger was soaked, though it didn't shine with the water's light. "If I smacked it it'd probably break but it can handle a touch."

"Do you know what kind of water it is? Is it saltwater or freshwater or…?" Silver asked, trying to look much more studious than his face would really allow.

"Or what, flavoured water? Fizzy water?" The raccoon snorted, "Come to think of it though, I've never really tried. For all I know, it's coconut water."

Marine didn't hesitate, she plugged that soaked finger directly into her mouth. Immediately she was heaving, coughing and spluttering; trying her best to spit out ever droplet. Her tongue dragged through forearm fur, trying to brush out the taste. "It's like a mouthful of seawater in a drop, it's so gross! It's so gross! You try it!"

She heard the hedgehog edge a step away, "I think I understand well enough."

Though her wince hadn't faded mischief had returned to the Raccoon's mind, "No mate, you've got to try it to really know. Here, taste it!"

She threw her right fist forward with, perhaps, a little bit too much vigour behind it. The hedgehog hardly had time to turn his head; the globule met his face with a resounding smack, like a stone skipping across a lake, and sent him tumbling across the sand. Marine went from grimacing to cringing, vision cast to the ground as he came to a crashing stop. Clearly, she didn't know her own strength. She gripped her right arm, guilt welling, only to hear him rise; dusting himself off.

Before she could dare glance at him three words cut across the beach, "Do it again."

"Wh-What?! Mate, are you insane?" Her were finally thrown to him. Though the blow had just been dealt, Marine could already see a red outline on his cheek.

"Don't worry. I'm fine, I've had far worse. When it moved I think I saw something, I want to make sure." He explained, "Besides, I'm ready this time. You won't get to land the hit, I promise."

A glance was cast to her blue globule, the sand beneath it blackened by droplets. If she could stay conscious, how long would it hold out? Could she manage one more punch? Undoubtedly, but how many tries would it take to actually hit him?

With a gesture the orb flew to her, she drew back her fist. "Is that a challenge, mate?"

The hedgehog seemed to blink, more mocking words slipped from his lips. "Wh-What? No, Marine. You're just new to this, you need practice if you're going to land-

Oh, she wasn't taking that lying down. He was calling her weak? Inexperienced? She'd show him! Before he could even finish she'd thrown her fist forward, her glowing water rocketed toward him, but his response was faster. Rather than jump or duck out of the way the Silver fell backwards, catching himself in his own psychic grip. With less than a gesture, he was back upright, hovering where he once stood.

"That was good! I saw it clearly, it's just like I thought. The orb-

"I'm not done yet, mate!" The fist was quickly retracted, though she couldn't see it Marine knew the orb was racing back toward her; thus through him!

Without looking the hedgehog however a little to the right, the shining light shot straight past him before slowing to a halt in front of her. Maybe it was a bad idea to announce her attack… but it'd just felt so cool! Her smile must have tripled in size; she could feel her cheeks glowing. Before she'd only used it in dire situations, or… well, when she really wanted to, but now the raccoon doubted she'd be able to stop. It felt so freeing, hurling that orb back and forth in an attempt to knock him down; like some great game of dodge ball where she held all the power.

Winding up again she launched the orb, it'd shrunk dramatically but she still had her weight behind it! "Alright, this one will do it. I'm gonna get you!"

She was so certain it would hit, but rather than dodge, the hedgehog simply raised a hand. Sand shaped into what was essentially a catcher's mitt and halted her orb, the light faded from her fist as the saltwater became little more than a stain on the sand. With a single, simple, action he'd stopped her all-out attack.

"Mate! That's not fair! You can't just…" All of a sudden Marine's head felt rather light, there was a weird sound in her head. Her body swayed forward yet, when she tried to compensate, she found herself falling. She landed on her backside; Silver a cyan blotch on an orange background. Marine had never felt seasick before but, from the spinning to her head to the shifting in her stomach, this was what she imagined it felt like. As the hedgehog approached he became much clearer, his own bright aura fading as he crouched down to her.

"Are you ok?"

"You… you cheated, that's not fair." She wasn't thinking before she spoke, thoughts tumbled from her spinning brain to her lips. Her eyes closed as that ringing sunk deeper into her head. "Th-That means I win."

The raccoon felt a hand on her head, ruffling her ears. He'd plopped down in front of her, "I didn't say I wouldn't use my powers but, alright, you win. If that's your biggest problem then you're doing fine." As he spoke he raised his right hand, grains of glowing sand rose and formed an orb roughly like hers. "When your construct was stationary it looked like this, but whenever you threw it out…" With a small gesture the orb was reshaped, with her vision spinning it took a moment to understand the change but eventually she identified it. The sand had taken the shape of a closed hand.

"Really mate, I made a fist?" She managed to ask.

"Exactly, maybe with practice, you'll be able to make other shapes. Perhaps an open palm or…" The hedgehog seemed to catch himself, his hand lowered to her forehead. "Looks like that took a lot out of you, are you feeling alright?'

"No, mate I swear I'm, fine. I'm totally fi-

She was cut off by her own yawn. As she went to open her eyes she found them abnormally heavy. As his hand shifted away she went to rub them, the light from her fingers almost blinding her.

"Can you get my gloves? My hands are too bright right now…"

"Sure, I'll pick them up and then we can head ho-

"You two are still out here?" The voice of a familiar feline, it couldn't be too far away. Marine managed to turn and look over her shoulders; a purple blotch was certainly forming into Blaze.

Silver was far more surprised to see her, quickly stammering out an explanation, "Blaze, sorry I was heading home to put dinner on but well…" The light was still ebbing from her fingers; she was too tired to hide it. "We got a little distracted."

Marine felt a hand on her shoulder, "I can see that much… Marine, why didn't you show me before?"

"I just… I'm sorry mate, I would have shown you first you know but I used it too much and fell asleep on the beach and…" Another yawn wracked her being, stopping the motormouth in her tracks.

"It's fine, Marine." Blaze's thumb gently rubbed her back, rather than the frustration she'd expected the cat's voice was soft. "I'm glad you've finally opened up about it, even if it would have been nice to know earlier. It's alright to be scared of these powers," There was, undeniably, a hesitation but she soon concluded, "I know I was."

The youngster couldn't help but lull into the touch, eyes fully closing. "As long as you keep trying to do good with it, you'll eventually do good with it. It's a part of you, no one should have to fear a part of themselves." Which of them was he talking to? Regardless, Silver began to explain, "It seems to be some kind of hydrokinesis, it's a little obvious when you consider her name, right?"

"I suppose I never thought to question it, rather… naïve considering my own name." Of course she'd used that word. If Marine had the energy she would have chewed her out for that… a small groan would have to suffice.

"I guess, for once, we both were." They were such saps. Good saps, saps she was happy to have… but saps none the less. "We should probably go, we can talk more over dinner; when she's a little less tuckered out."

She felt weightlessness overtake her, Blaze's own touch vanishing and a new touch manifesting in front of her. It felt soft… like some kind of pillow. When her eyes cracked open she understood, the piggyback… just as he'd promised. Although, speaking of promises, a scheme was brewing within the raccoon.

"Oh, Silver, what's that on your face? Did I do that during training today? I'm so sorry, does it hurt." Marine peered through his quills, she'd approached and taken his face in her hand; thumb gently rubbing the bruise her hydro-fist had given him.

Redness tipped his ears; he managed to stutter out some explanation. "N-No, Marine did that, don't worry. A little ice and, hopefully, it'll be gone by the morning."

"I doubt it, you'll be lucky to avoid a black eye." Perhaps, but was holding his face in your hand really helping with that?

Marine fought through another yawn, cutting him off. "Blaze, Silver's got something important to tell you. He's been meaning to for a while now."

His head shifted; clearly, he'd been caught by surprise. Despite that, it still lay in his hand. "I-I'll do it later, Marine."

The Raccoon started to jab him, whining louder. "You cheated fightin' me. To make up for it you have to tell her now. You've been thinking about it for too long anyway, any longer and you're gonna burst."

Blaze's interest had clearly been piqued, still holding his cheek she finally asked; "Silver, what is it?"

"I-I… well... erm…" Oh, this was going to be good, as she loosed a yawn Marine gave him a sleepy kick in an attempt to urge him on. "You look great t-tonight, th-the sunset and your eyes it just…" He really was awful at this; well at least he was finally trying. "It's really nice, I-I mean all of you is nice, y-you're nice every night! B-But…I mean… uhh…"

His words had become mush; even beneath the setting sun Marine could see the blush on her white muzzle as he fought with his compliment, with every glance to her he'd stutter even more. As she drifted off among his quills Marine couldn't help but feel glad she had them, annoying and stupid and sappy as they were.


End file.
